Unveiling the Magic of Lanterna Magica: A Pitch Perfect Review

Laterna Magica means “Magic Lantern” (you’re welcome!) and Magic is exactly how I’d describe this band’s lovely, retro-psychedelic pop album Laterna Magica. This is the newest release by Night’s Bright Colors, a name which perfectly captures the many beautiful colors of the group’s sound.

The band’s leader is Jason Smith, a musician and songwriter based in Asheville, North Carolina. Aside from writing music for film and theater, he formed both Night’s Bright Colors and an ambient side project called Isolation Studies way back in 2003. His partner Kevin Boggs is also a musician, producer, engineer and founder of Loc-Level Sound Studio in Asheville. For this album the guys mention as influences The Beatles (natch), The Shins, The Pixies, Britpop, Shoegaze, Built To Spill and Elliott Smith. They hope to emphasize catchy melodies, atmosphere and wordplay in their songs.

“Woke Up” starts us in deep psychedelic territory, beginning with “Revolver” Beatles, then passing through Pink Floyd and The Electric Prunes. This is said to be a departure for songwriter Smith but it’s an arresting starting point. The walls of guitars and wailing mellotrons seal any possible air leaks. “As Y Approaches Infinity” takes a rapid shift toward jangly, upbeat retro pop with ringing major chords and sweet vocal waves that recall indie darlings LMNOP or Billy Corgan in a good mood. I happened to notice the lyrics appearing on my iPhone (though not my desktop) and that’s a good thing, as I’d never catch words like “Fair winds arise for Eratosthenes.”

Up next, “The Grand Society” has a title that recalls President Johnson’s “Great Society” and in fact the video loop is a shot of Johnson nemesis Joseph McCarthy. The track has a bouncy beat similar to the early Kinks, or even modern-day popsters Scoopski. In a fair universe, this would be a Hit right now! “The Trivial Pursuit of Happiness” is of course a very funny pun for a sweet but surprisingly sophisticated singalong (“Fa la la / La dee da…”). It’s over way before you expect!

“Parlor Games” is a retelling of the ancient cautionary tale “The Spider And the Fly” with the very same message as Mary Howitt’s poem (she even gets a shoutout!). The combination of dark piano, moody strings and insinuating vocals works splendidly. “Slow Wave” is a short but tricky mood piece, with the first letter of each lyric line spelling out (spoiler alert) ASLEEP. I’m hearing both Elliott Smith and Smashing Pumpkins in the wall-of-jangle song “Eastern Thought” with especially crisp, ringing electric guitars and (again) terrific lead and harmony vocals. “The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket” is a celebratory hard rocker with a surprisingly quiet middle section that might literally take you into space (“On this star, we’re now very far from where we were / Landed in the sun…”). The guitars are so awash in rock majesty I can barely stand it!

This is an album I not only admire, but brought me true happiness. If you love upbeat pop with a heavy rock backing, check out this amazing group!

-Pitch Perfect